months, different days, but they are twins. we will explain on monday january 2nd. good morning and welcome to 2012. i'm charley crowson. time for a check of the forecast, hello to justin berk. 6:30, as we recover from the weekend, and the raven's victory, maybe you stayed up to watch the giants take care of the cowboys too. 51 miles per hour wind gusts, leads the charts in maryland with buoy state coming in with the gust during our 5:00 hour. temperatures down in to the mids to lower 30s. that 33 feels colder than that. now that we mix in clouds, again, this is a setup, along i- 95 is where we have this boundary between the mostly cloudy, overcast conditions north and west. we have clearing. there will be sunshine around the bay. when you see the graphic at the bottom, where you see our daily breakdown , the hour by hour,

you got to take it with a grain of salt. you get clouds north and west. one snow shower fly through. more today, but if you are watching us in arundel, you want snow, some of you do, you will have a lesser chance than back towards westminster. this is winter my friends, getting enhance bids the great lakes. -- enhanced by the great lakes. even if you wake up sunny in baltimore, we will be on the edge of the clouds, maybe we could adjust this graphic. the clouds will dominate the afternoon. flurries and snow showers make their way near baltimore. temperatures downtown, bw i-4 2. staying in the 30s north and west. probably closer to 40 miles per hour today. a blustery day with flakes flying around. we will talk about that coming up in a bit. back to charlie. 37 degrees, a live look at

395, and 95, this is one of my favorite traffic shots in all of baltimore overlooking a beautiful skyline at 395, traffic calm this morning, you can follow us on twitter at maryland traffic. get the latest on your traffic conditions and what you are expecting for your commute at abc2news.com, you will have 100 cameras at your disposal, plan your day accordingly. a look at the shot for one more second. move onto the news now. a final push for the republican presidential candidate with iowa caucuses tuesday, one day to go a poll says mitt romney and ron paul could be battling out for the top spot. kuren redmond is life with the poll results and what it could mean tomorrow night. >> a political fight for the finish before the first real voting of the 2012 presidential race. the latest poll shows romney and ron paul neck in neck. paul says campaign is picking up momentum.

rival romney is rarely leading. he picked up another endorsement from the iowa newspaper and former senator rick santorum rounded out the top three in the poll. the poll found 41% of likely caucus goers could change minds before tuesday. >> we are doing very, very well and people should just be a little bit patient. tuesday we will find out more about the future of this election. >> after the people of iowa do what they do, which is analyze the candidates, figure out where the positions are. find out who is the right leader what it takes to defeat barack obama and lead the country. >> also, on the trail, newt gingrich, rick perry and bachmann stopping for last minute votes. kuren redmond, abc2 news. it's political move sparking controversy. requiring voters to sign a loyalty oath. that means they must pledge

support to the candidate they vet for come the march primary. >> it would diswade me from voteing to make sure i'm making a educated devision, that's better than a hasty vote with little information. >> virginia primary is held march 6th. hundreds of birds found scattered across yards in arkansas. it happened before, once again last year. it's thought the loud noises caused by fireworks caused them to scatter. >> we got up and backed out of the driveway. it was freaky, man. there were dead birds laying everywhere. this year is not as bad as last year. >> neighborhood is near a roosting area for the blackbirds. part is cleared to make way for a store. the hope is the blackbirds will find a new roosting area and this won't be a problem in the

future. new york, the occupy protesters squared off with place. one officer was injured. 68 people were arrested on a number of charges including trespassing, disorderly conduct and reckless endangerment. doctors diagnosedet tajames with often treatable form of leukemia. twin girls born in a tampa hospital have often usual distinction. one of babies were born in 2011, the other in 2012.

>> they decided they were coming in early. here, 37 minutes in to the new year, hickman was delivering her baby boy in arundel medical center, he is born to jody and shawn, they are both of annapolis. that's a photo, congratulations. photographers covering ever inch of the white house. never before seen photos inside the president's home. a look at those and getting ready to pull out more money if you plan to take a european vacation this year. why, coming up in a bit. as we go to break, a live look at traffic, 695, old court road. we don't have the camera right now. we will have that in just a bit when good morning maryland continues.

neil, any luck finding a car? not yet. i want to buy used but how do you know what you're really getting. check out carmax. all their used cars are guaranteed. that's where henderson found the one for him. way to go, henderson. finding the perfect car is easy at carmax because each car is carefully selected, inspected, thoroughly reconditioned and backed with a five-day money back guarantee so come find the one for you today, at carmax. way to go, neil.

♪ it's sunny d!you bring out the sun. ♪ ♪ it's the way you make it all fun. ♪ know who makes the day sunny? my mom and sunny d! i love the taste. mom loves the vitamin c. and now it has 40% fewer calories than most regular soda brands! sunny d! ♪ make today a sunny day! find out more at sunnyd.com

you can see the american flag flying briskly above the white house. business going on in the nation's capitol. welcome back to good morning maryland. rare white house photos to show you this morning. all come from a number of photographers. they are all over the white house, catching images of the first family. here are a few photos we haven't seen before. grounds see on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. former president george bush, laura bush, with president obama and the fist lady as they greet familys of telephone victims. the president about to present a wounded warrior with a purple heart walking in to a hospital wearing scrubs. this photograph taken high above the oval office of the rose garden, a steak dinner for the german chancellor.

three former first ladies, joining first lady michelle obama. the president and first lady bidding fay well to the queen and prince philip following a dinner to honor the queen. the president filling in his basketball coach for his daughter sasha. as the nation prepares if ar towflly fought presidential race, we noted the children behind the president, video games for more pressing. and bow with a view from insides the motorcade in route to pet smart to get his christmas gift. the big win makes them the number two seed in afc playoffs, i will have the story coming up. 3q

new odor detect from air wick. a new air freshener so smart, that it detects and overcomes unpleasant odors. odor detect works on more than a thousand odors, to keep your world at its brightest. new odor detect. something in the air wick.

happy 2012 to you. let's start with justin berk. >> we've got temperature 37 baltimore. 39 easton, 40s, lower eastern shore and southern maryland. around freezing or below, that's the deal west and north. when we factor in the winds, on average 10- 20 miles per hour winds, we gust 30 to 40 in many spots and the 51 miles per hour wind push we showed now in buoy state. widespread 20s, what it feels like in all actuality. it is mostly chowd do i to overcast. a sunrise around the bay annapolis and to the eastern shore, we will flow with the snow showers and there will be more of a fill in of the clouds this morning, winds gust on average 35 miles per hour, or

higher, we will get our way downtown back to 42, slip back this evening. 30s north and west, more of that threat of snow showers and flurries. we will have the outlook in a moment. live look outside, some of the traffic this is 695, old court road. see the sunrise off of the eastern horizon. not a lot of traffic right now. you can always get your update on your commute at abc2news.com. more than 100 traffic cameras at your disposal. also follow us on twitter,@maryland traffic, all updates throughout the course of the day. this is 695 and old court road. ravens took down the sincalty bengalserning the precious first round buy in the playoffs. sherrie johnson joins us live outside of mt bank stadium with a recap of the day that was and a lot of smiling faces this morning. >> reporter: that's right. we are here at mt bank stadium.

it is quiet now but the fans are very excited, a great win last night against the bengals. ray rice had two long touchdown runs which helped lead the ravens to a victory. it gave the ravens the third afc north title and number two seed in the playoffs. ravens get a first round by, for the first time in five years, we will sit in our own stadium watching the ravens. two wins away from indianapolis. playing sundays, january 15th at 1:00 p.m., against houston, denver, or the steelers. this is the first afc north division title since 2006. of course, some very excited fans and excited players about this news. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. causing a stir, among some parents, in california, parents required to put their kids up to 8 years old in car or

booster seats. kuren redmond joins us now with more on an explanation of the law. >> in california children under 8 years old must be in a car or booster seat that means parent who don't comply could face fines. it is a trend that california joins 30 other states with similar laws that put kids in car seats longer. there is no words on if maryland will follow behind ;wx law. experts say children who don't ride are at greater rising for organ or spinal damage. regular belts come across the neck and soft part of the abdomen on kids under 8 years old. >> if she needs it's, it is going to go in to the organs. she is going to be uncomfortable. she is going to want to do this. this is dangerous. she is not in her seat belt properly. >> if my child is 7 years old, not in a car seat, i knew it

could have saved her life, i would have liked to have that force upon me. >> more than 1 million kids in california are impacted by the new law. violaters could face fines up to $500. what do you think? should kids it is in booster seats? head to abc2news.com. click on the facebook link, it will take you to the wmaar facebook fan page. despite being a holiday, school kids in three countys are heading back to school today. schools in howard, are opening today and open alexandria. kids are free to enjoy the nation's official celebration of new years day. new years means a benefit for some people. same sex married couples will be able to receive health care benefits together. it was official january 1st for

couples whose marriage was legal in other states. it came from baltimore county executive and approved in mid december. this applies to employees. moment in history, the first civil union taking place in delaware, took place sunday. 400 people including a u.s. senator witnessed the first same sex union. 7 other couples obtained...s. two partners for 14 years. delaware governor sign ed the law. lottery players, you are going to have to twice as much if you want to play power ball. a ticket will cost $2. organizers hope the bigger jack pots will get more people to play. a $125 million ticket was sold in elk on ton on christmas eve but we have no idea who the winner is. this is a new $0.05 bag

taxes pected -- tax expected to generate $1 million next year. the we wanted of the road for the grand prix , the contract was called off friday they are calling for the racing development to pay the debt. officials announced last month the group had not paid on $1.5 million bill they owed the city. it would appear that the primary mote i motive may not be killing people, it maybe attention. >> the total reported number of

fires is 39. in one sustained significant injuries. police are looking in to a shooting in washington state, at a house party as possibly linked to a shooting at mount rainier. four people were shot at a party. that suspect was at a party and asked to leave. the suspect returned later and opened fire. police are investigating if the same suspect shot the ranger. is punt's name is benjamin barns. police found his vehicle with weapons and body armour inside. five things you need to know on this monday morning. baltimore city says the city recorded 196 homicides for 2011. that's the lowest number of the murders since 1978. the high mark was in the same period, 353 murders back in 1993. another holiday falling on the weekend, nonessential officials will be closed in observance of new years day. trash will not be picked up.

things return to normal come tuesday. car tolls in virginia have gone to $0.25 to $1.50. car drivers will pay $0.75 at all on and off ramps. larger vehicles will be expected to pay more, funding two construction projects. the national hockey league moved the classic between the rangers and the fliers from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. according to nhl.com. game time in philadelphia was changed due to the weather forecast and hopes for better conditions for player as well as fans. college bowl season kicks off in a big way for two bowl games played today. one is not going to be without controversy. occupy proes theres are planning a protest at the rose parade. the event, a prelude to the rose bowl has been going on

since 1890. southeast of 95, you will get the benefit of winds drying out. warms you up a little bit. freezing towson, 49 manchester and from manchester, a partly to mostly cloudy sky. flurries flying through. there will be more. as we track this throughout the day, watching the upper level wind pattern to the north. producing widespread lake enhanced and true lake effect snows. dark shading here. some places are getting up to 3 inches of snow per hour. they will pick up feet of snow. expecting 6-12 inches of snow towards 7 springs, could be getting up to a foot.

before id winds down tomorrow night. local ski areas will be cranking the snow guns. upper level disturbance, the frontal boundary, deep entrenched in to the environment. break the clouds around the baltimore area, we will fill back in throughout the morning. the snow showers will be a little bit more widespread for the west and north. heavy snow bands in to the mountains. here is the deal, 42, we hit that in baltimore. probably staying in the 30s west and north. winds gusting to 35 miles per hour or higher. especially west to howard county, carol, baltimore county, southern pa, better chance of the snow showers. tonight, down in to the 20s, tomorrow pushing temperatures near freezing, 20s north and west, teens for the overnight. scattered snow showers, another disturbance on thursday. after that we warm back to near

54 by early next weekend, rain tries to move in on sunday and extended forecast models indicate maybe we tap in to the cold air and bring first snow next week. >> you were talking about wind warnings on the bridges. >> possibly. >> winds restrictions because we had winds 35-50 miles per hour this morning. they've settled down now but picking up this morning. >> if you are heading out on january 2nd, more than 100 live camerases to chart your commute to make sure everything is exactly as it needs to be. here we like showing you cameras from around the world, lone london or brazil. this is a check of fireworks show this is in london.

♪ [ female announcer ] there's no right way or wrong way. every baby plays by his own rules and they need a diaper that lets them do it. pampers cruisers with 3-way fit adapt at the waist, legs and bottom ♪ with up to 12 hours of protection, for all the freedom to play their way.

♪ pampers. it's time to play.

8% every 10 years.age 40, we can start losing muscle -- wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge!